Brown playing through calf injury

PHILADELPHIA – If the 76ers brick a shot while Kwame Brown is on the floor, chances are the veteran center isn’t making it down the other end on an opposing team’s fastbreak. There were more than one of those occasions Friday night, in the Sixers’ win over Utah.

It’s no secret that Brown is dealing with a left calf strain. There’s no surgery that can fix it, either.

The Sixers signed Brown in the offseason to be a backup plan at the center position. Twenty-one days later, the Sixers cemented their plan to have Brown as a secondary pivot man – or so they thought – when they traded for Andrew Bynum.

Things have changed. The Sixers need more from Brown, the 6-11, 300-pounder from whom they got an eye-opening 24 minutes and six rebounds against the Jazz. “I’m giving what I got,” Brown said Saturday, following the Sixers’ 75-minute practice session at PCOM. “I can’t jump. I can play defense. Offense is going to be the last thing that comes back. I’m a little lost in certain sets. The only thing that’s going to fix it is by going out there and doing it.”

There are good odds that Brown will make his fourth appearance of the season today, in the starting lineup when Cleveland visits Wells Fargo Center.

Sixers coach Doug Collins isn’t expecting Brown to fill up the scoring column of the box score. So long as Brown can defend like he did against Utah center Al Jefferson – who was limited to four points in the second half in a particularly demonstrative defensive effort by Brown – all will be happy.

Collins said that was the first time in his three years in Philly that the Sixers haven’t had to double-team Jefferson. Getting single coverage of opposing teams’ bigs is at least one thing they hope to get from Brown each time out.

“The post defense he gives us, it gives us a chance to play four big guys,” Collins said, in reference to Lavoy Allen, Thad Young and Spencer Hawes. “I don’t want to play small lineups. In the end, you can do that for short periods of time, but you’ve got to rebound and you’ve got to defend to do that. My wishes and my prayers are that Kwame is going to stay healthy. I can’t believe we got 20-something minutes out of him (Friday).

“I signed Kwame to defend and rebound. I said that to him from Moment 1, whether he scores one point or not. He’s not the first pick in the (2001) draft, at age 31. He’s Kwame Brown, who does what he does best. That’s why we wanted him on our team and that’s why we want him healthy.”

Nursing that calf muscle has its downside, Brown said.

There are mornings, like Saturday’s, when ice and Advil are a must. He said he woke up sore, but it wasn’t an intolerable pain that would keep him from practice. Brown wouldn’t say exactly how much time he practices on off days that are sandwiched around gamedays.

“Team No Snitch. I can’t give practice secrets,” Brown said, smiling.

It’s not a secret what Brown’s presence affords the Sixers. With him able to play, Collins can continue to pair Thad Young with a fellow big in the starting lineup, while giving Lavoy Allen (who had 10 points and eight rebounds in 29 minutes) appropriate time to work out of his season-opening funk. Also, it allows Collins to keep bringing in Spencer Hawes off the bench, a role in which he’s been highly effective.

And – perhaps most importantly – it bridges the gap between now and who-knows-when Bynum will be back. That’s assuming Brown, who’s the first to admit he’s not in tip-top shape, continues his conditioning and stays healthy.

“At some point, you’ve got to go out there and do it,” Brown said. “We don’t have time for me to get in shape during practice because obviously some guys can’t practice with so many games in a row. I just figured it’d be to my benefit and to the team’s benefit to go out there and play as much as I can and give what I’ve got.

“Defensively, I’ve held my on. The offense will come. They’re not made at me for not being able to finish. Hopefully that’ll come and I can go up strong.”